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You could excuse Oliver Glasner for wishing to enjoy a quiet period with his loved ones in Austria before Christmas, instead of gearing up for Crystal Palace's 29th fixture of the campaign—a League Cup quarter-final with Arsenal. However, the suggestion that Palace might focus on other competitions was swiftly rejected by their boss.

"No, I don't think so," stated Glasner after his team's side's four-one loss to Leeds. "Should somebody informs me that we lose on purpose, the next day I'm no longer the coach anymore."

There is a marked difference in Glasner's approach to cup competitions compared to his forerunner, Roy Hodgson. This initially was evident during Palace's journey to the League Cup quarter-finals in his first complete campaign in charge. Under Hodgson, the team had previously been knocked out from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner assumed control at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner picked his best team for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a meeting with Arsenal.

That previous quarter-final match ended in a 3-2 defeat at the Emirates Stadium, thanks to a rather controversial hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having been ahead at the interval. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner must devise a strategy for payback against the present Premier League pace-setters in a fixture that was moved to this week because of European obligations.

A Price of Success and Continental Exhaustion

Glasner has, in a sense, been a victim of his own achievements. Leading Palace to their first major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final subsequently brought the rigors of European football for the first time. These demands are catching up with several weary players, many of whom have hardly had a break all term.

The coach deployed an entirely changed lineup, including four youngsters, in their last Conference League fixture. Yet, ahead of the Arsenal clash, he conceded he will have "no option" but to choose the majority of his preferred side, which looked decidedly jaded as they unusually let in four goals from set-pieces against Leeds. "Have to. Yes, must," he affirmed.

The Gunners' Viewpoint and Team Considerations

For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are different. The boss must juggle his ambition to win a another major trophy with considerable pragmatism. Last year, a muscle injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game versus Palace only days after their Carabao Cup comeback greatly damaged their title aspirations.

Arteta had made several changes for that cup match but was forced to bring on his "big-hitters" following the break. Saka was introduced from the bench to set up Jesus for a crucial goal in a passage of play that left Glasner "incensed" over a possible offside, with no VAR in operation—a situation that will repeat again on Tuesday.

Arsenal are on an eight-game unbeaten streak against Palace, featuring seven victories. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in the previous campaign's League Cup meeting and a brace in a subsequent league win before sustaining a serious knee injury, looks set to start for the first since that injury. Arteta revealed the forward wrote a "beautiful" letter to his teammates about what football means to him.

"We are used to it," said Arteta on the congested schedule. "In my view this week was the sole complete week we had to prepare. The period until February at least is going to be like this. We have a beautiful chance to go into the semi-final of a competition so we will be ready."

Amid important players coming back from injury and a determination to advance, Arsenal present a formidable test for a Palace side urgently in need of a spark as the festive period ramps up.